I never realized the emotional enticement from the smell of bread, not until I moved to Korea and smelled baguette.

It was as if I got separated from something, because I had never liked bread before I moved here.

Maybe it’s because I can eat rice to my hearts content here. Because rice is ubiquitous but good bread is not (and especially good baguette is not).

I bought the last baguette from my neighborhood’s only decent bakery. It felt soft. The owner explained that was because it was sheathed in paper (in an attempt to keep out the awful and periodic particulate dust — we’re in a period of strong winds and therefore high levels of dust).

And even though I was reluctant to buy it, because it was so soft and not super crusty like I like my baguette, in the end the smell of bread won me over. Strange isn’t it?

I enjoyed that baguette with bleu-brie and cab sau 😊